Portable decoy launcher system and rounds therefor

ABSTRACT

1. A portable launcher system comprising: a portable support base, said portable support base including extendable-retractable brace members to provide additional support therefor, a portable multi-round container unit removably mounted in said base, said portable multi-round container unit comprising a housing, a plurality of tubes fixedly secured in said housing, said tubes functioning for storage of associated rounds and as the launch base for firing of associated rounds, and electrical wiring operatively secured to said housing and adapted for connection with associated rounds, said support base being provided with means for retaining said container unit therein, a control apparatus for said power supply, said power supply and said control apparatus being positioned within a portable container and remotely located from said portable support base and said portable multi-round container unit, and means for interconnecting the electrical wiring of said container unit with said control apparatus whereby associated rounds may be launched therefrom individually, sequentially or in salvo.

United States Patent [191 Schillrelf et a1.

[451 May 7,1974

[ PORTABLE DECOY LAUNCHER SYSTEM AND ROUNDS THEREFOR [75] Inventors:George H. Schillreff; Lawrence E.

Grayson; William M. Carter, all of Glendora, Calif.

[73] Assignee: General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona, Calif.

[22] Filed: Dec. 24, 1964 [21] Appl. No.: 421,754

[52] US. Cl. 89/1 R, 89/1 L, 89/l.5 R, 89/1.814 [51] Int. Cl F4lf 3/00[58] Field of Search 89/1 R, 1 L, 1.3, 1.7, 89/34, 37, 1.5, 14, 1.814;102/7.2, 34, 34.2

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,471,063 10/1923 Rognlie89/1.3 2,368,018 l/1945 Groth et a1. 89/1.3 2,751,582 6/1956 Kuykendalll02/37.4 X 634,826 10/1899 Masini 89/1 X 2,421,893 6/1947 Lambert et a189/1.7 B X 2,444,334 6/1948 Caulkins 89/37 C 2,717,533 9/1955 Wells89/l.5 2,961,927 11/1960 Dufour 89/1.7 B

3,137,231 6/1964 Johnson 102/34.4

Primary ExaminerSamuel W. Engle EXEMPLARY CLAIM 1. A portable launchersystem comprising: a portable support base, said portable support baseincluding extendable-retractable brace members to provide additionalsupport therefor, a portable multi-round container unit removablymounted in said base, said portable multi-round container unitcomprising a housing, a plurality of tubes fixedly secured in saidhousing, said tubes functioning for storage of associated rounds and asthe launch base for firing of associated rounds, and electrical wiringoperatively secured to said housing and adapted for connection withassociated rounds, said support base being provided with means forretaining said container unit therein, a control apparatus for saidpower supply, said power supply and said control apparatus beingpositioned within a portable container and remotely located from saidportable support base and said portable multi-round container unit, andmeans for interconnecting the electrical wiring of said container unitwith said control apparatus whereby associated rounds may be launchedtherefrom individually, sequentially or in salvo.

13 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMY 11914 $808,948

SHEET 1 BF 2 Imam- PORTABLE DECOY LAUNCHER SYSTEM AND ROUNDS EREFOR Thisinvention relates to countermeasure systems, particularly to systems forproviding a protective cover against homing and/or fire control devicesoperating upon infrared, sonar, or microwave reflected energy, and moreparticularly to portable decoy launching systems and rounds therefor toconfuse the sensing mechanism of such devices and thus decrease theeffectiveness thereof.

This invention relates to the invention disclosed and claimed in US.Pat. application Ser. No. 389,525, filed Aug. I2, 1964, entitled CounterMeasures System and assigned to the same assignee. As in the abovementioned application, this invention is directed to a system fordispensing infrared, sonar, or microwavereflected energy or combinationsthereof by firing a projectile or a plurality thereof and dispensing thesame at a predetermined point in time or position along its trajectoryor path of travel whereby these additional energy sources confuse thesensor system of an incoming missile or the like and divert it from itsintended target.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a portable decoylauncher system.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable decoylauncher system which is completely self sustaining.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive andyet effective system for dispensing dispersible decoy material forconfusing sensor systems operating on infrared, sonar and/ormicrowavereflected energy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable decoy launchersystem capable of firing individual rounds singly, in sequence or bymultiple bursts.

Another object of the invention is to provide decoy rounds adapted forfiring in the portable launcher system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a decoy system usinglow-cost, easily-handled rounds and portable launching equipment whichprovides added defense and attack support for surface ships, forexample.

Other objects of the invention will become readily apparent from thefollowing description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the FIG. 1 embodiment illustrating the removabilityof the decoy round container unit from the launcher base;

FIG. 3 is a view of the FIG. I embodiment showing the cable attachmentto the decoy round container unit;

FIG. 4 is a view showing the control panel of an embodiment of thepower-control unit of the FIG. 1 system;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the electrical system of the FIG.1 embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a radar chaff decoy round; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an anti-submarine warfare (sonar)decoy round.

This invention broadly relates to a portable launcher system forproviding a protective cover against homing devices operating uponinfrared, sonar and/or microwave-reflected energy. The launcher systemincludes a base which is easily carried by one man and can be quicklypositioned and held for launching by sand bags, lashing, bolting or anyconventional retaining method. The base is provided with a removablemultiple round container unit which can also easily be inserted orwithdrawn by one man. The container unit may be of the disposable orreloadable type. Connected to the round container unit via a cable is asmall portable power-control unit which activates the rounds in anysequence desired by the operator.

The decoy rounds produce targets and generate confusion in search,tracking, and homing weapons. The fast reloading capability of thelauncher system using spare loaded round containers provides protectionboth during attack or during retreat. The various types of rounds aredesigned to operate with respect to a ship, for example: (1) close tothe ship to confuse the ranging elements of homing weapons; (2) farenough away to minimize blast damage to the ship from weapons centeredon the decoys; (3) low to appear near sea level to long distance searchweapons; (4) sufficiently high to have adequate persistance for thetactical encounter; (5) deep enough to cover the distance from thesurface of the water to below the first thermal layer; and (6)sufficiently large to duplicate the target size of the smallest fightingunit. Generation of larger targets to simulate larger craft may requireseveral rounds fired at close intervals.

While the launching system of the invention is portable and thereforecan be positioned and fired from any desired location for providingprotective cover wherever needed, the description of the invention willbe directed to the use of the system on surface ships.

Referring now to the drawings, the portable decoy launcher system, asillustrated in FIG. 1, consists generally of a base 10, a multiple-roundcontainer unitor launcher-magazine 11, a firing cable 12, and apowercontrol unit 13. The complete system can be carried aboard and setup in locations compatible with normal ship operations. The base 10 isheld in place by appropriate weights such as sandbags or the like(notshown) to dampen the recoil from firing. Rough sea operations mayrequire lashing or bolting the base to the deck of the ship. The roundcontainer unit 11 can be protected prior to firing, if desired, by awatertight lid (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, caps arepositioned over the round tubes of container unit 11 to protect therounds from splash during the firing run. The rounds are fired manuallyby the push buttons (see FIG. 4) in the power-control unit 13. Spacingof the firing sequence of the rounds depends upon the tactical situation.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 3, the base 10 may be constructed of steel orother suitable material and is easily carried by one man. Base 10comprises a housing 14 constructed so that the open top is at a anglewith respect to the closed bottom. A pair of supports 15 and 16 are eachconnected at one end thereof to the bottom of housing 14 at the frontand rear sides, respectively, by hinges 17 or other means for allowingthe supports to pivot with respect to the housing. Front support 15 isprovided with a pair of braces 18 which extend perpendicularly withrespect to support 15 and are each provided with a slot 19 which acceptsa locking member 20 to hold the support 15 in its extended position, asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for supporting housing 14 in its firingposition. Locking members 20 are operatively connected to housing 14 bypins or other suitable means which allow members 20 to move with respectto slots 19 so that support 15 may be moved to its folded positionadjacent the front side of housing 14 with the braces 18 extending alongthe sides of the housing. A pair of latches 21 and 22 are pivotallymounted on the front and rear sides, respectively, of housing 14 andoperate to hold the respective supports 15 and 16 in their foldedpositions. Over-center clamps 23 are mounted on the sides of housing 14by means such as hinges 24 and are adapted to extend over the open endof the housing and retain the round container unit or launcher-magazine11 within the housing, as shown in FIG. 1. To prevent the clamps 23 frommoving, a latch 25 is mounted adjacent each clamp 23 and serves to holdclamps 23 as shown in FIG. 1. The rear side of housing 14 is providedwith a cut-out portion to accept the cable connection assembly oflaunchermagazine 11. A handle 26 is mounted via plate 27 on the rear ofhousing 14 by which the base I is carried.

The round container unit or launcher-magazine 11 consists of a framehaving a bottom (not shown), top 28 and interconnecting support members29 as shown in FIG. 2. Top 28 is provided with apertures within whichare positioned firing tubes or chambers 30, nine tubes 30 being utilizedin this embodiment. Tubes or chambers 30 are supported within thelaunchermagazine frame by the bottom member (not shown) and may beconnected to the bottom of the frame and to top 28 by any conventionalmeans to prevent movement thereof. Attached to the interconnectingsupport members 29 on one side of the frame and adjacent top 28 is asupport 31 (see FIG. 3) for a quick connect multi-terminal plug or jack32 for interconnection with the firing cable 12. Pairs of wire 33provided with connector pins or sockets or the like interconnect plug 32with each of firing tubes 30. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the wires33 extend through a padded aperture 35 in support 31 and through paddedapertures 35' in top 28 of the frame 29, a pair of wires 33 beingprovided for each of launch tubes 30.

To load the round container unit 11, rounds such as those illustrated,for example, in FIGS. 6 and 7 are inserted in the tubes 30. Spring clipson the squib wires from the rounds are connected to the pin sockets ofwires 33. Any excess wire is positioned inside the tubes 30 and caps 36are placed over each of the tubes 30 (see FIG. 1), caps 36 beingconstructed of material such as plastic which will not damage the wires33 when placed over the tubes. The loading operation can be accomplishedin less than 2 minutes. The round container units 11 are reusable andcan be interchanged in base in less than 1 minute.

Firing cable 12 is provided with an outer sheath which is impervious towater and highly resistant to damage through normal use and consists ofa plurality of conductors. Quick connect multi-terminal plugs 37 and 37are mounted on each end of and connected to said conductors in cable 12.Plug 37 is shown for interconnection with plug or jack 32 of unit 11 andplug 37 with a plug 32' similar to plug or jack 32 mounted inpower-control unit 13 (see FIG. 5). The plugs 37 and 37' on cable 12 areidentical and the associated wiring is arranged so that the cable 12 isreversible.

The power-control unit 13 is mounted in a waterresistant box 38 having acover or lid 39 with a handle 39' hinged at 40, box 38 being providedwith fastener mechanism 41 for retaining cover 39 in the closedposition. Box 38 contains the power supply, such as a standard 6 voltbattery, a control panel generally indicated at 41', a multi-terminalplug 32' similar to plug 32, and the associated wiring (see FIG. 5).

Control panel 41' includes a switch 42 having SAFE and ARM positions, aswitch guard 43, a red indicator light 44, a push button 45 of the testcircuit, a green test light 46, and push buttons S1 S9 corresponding tothe number of round chambers or tubes 30 in unit 11. The battery islocated under control panel 41' and is accessible by removing the panel.The switch guard 43 has to be down, thus throwing the switch 42 to theSAFE position, to close the cover 40 of the box 38, assuring a visiblesafety check when changing round container units 11.

While the electrical system will be described in detail hereinafter withrespect to FIG. 5, the operation of the power-control unit 13 is brieflyas follows: (I) the cover 40 is raised by releasing fasteners 41; (2)button 45 of the test section is pushed which illuminates green light 44if the battery has enough power to fire the rounds; (3) the switch guard43 is lifted, as shown in FIG. 4, and the switch 42 is thrown from theSAFE to the ARM position which illuminates red light 44 and places thesystem ready for firing; and (4) the rounds are fired manually bydepressing the push buttons S1 S9 which provides an electric impulsefrom the battery and ignites the launch charge in the correspondingrounds in unit 11. For example, when button S3 is pushed, round 3 inunit 11 is fired.

An embodiment of an electrical system for the FIGS. 1 4 portablelauncher system is schematically illus trated in FIG. 5 and indicatesthe general units of the system, namely, the power-control assembly, thecable assembly, and the launcher assembly. Like elements will bereferenced to correspond with FIGS. 1 4.

The power-control assembly consists essentially of four sections,namely, power, test, arm, and fire. The power supply section such as a 6volt battery is indicated at 47.

The test section of the power-control assembly includes push button 45,green indicator light 46, resistors R R and R a silicon controlledrectifier (SCR) and associated conductors 48, 49, and 50, operativelyconnected with battery 47. To test the condition of the battery, button45 is pushed which interconnects conductors 48 and 49, thus applying thebattery voltage across resistor R resistors R, and R and the SCR andlight 46, thereby completing the circuit through conductor 50. If thelight 46 lights, it is an indication that the battery 47 has the minimumamount of voltage, for example 4.3 volts, required to fire the decoyrounds because the bias network of resistors in combination with the SCRsimulates the firing load.

The arm or ready section of the power-control assembly includes switch42, red indicator light 44, a current limiting resistor R.,, a commonlead or bus bar 51, and associated conductors 48, 52, 53 and 50. Light44, resistor R and common lead 51 are connected to conductor 52. Withthe voltage of battery 47 being sufficient, as determined by the testsection, switch guard 43 (see FIG. 4) is raised and switch 42 moved fromthe SAFE to the ARM position which interconnects conductors 48 and 52,thus applying the battery voltage across the red indicator light 44,thereby completing the circuit through conductors 53 and 50 andilluminating light 44.

The fire section of the power-control assembly includes press-to-actuatepush button switches Sl through S9 connected as shown in FIG. 5 betweena common lead or bus bar 54 and terminals A through J, respectively, ofa plug or jack 32', similar to the jack 32 in FIG. 3, and a conductor 55interconnecting a terminal L of jack 32', bus bar 54, and conductor 50.

The cable assembly as shown in FIG. 5 includes the plurality ofconductors 12' contained within the firing cable 12 and the plugs 37 and37, one at each end of cable 12, as described above with respect toFIGS. 1 4. Plugs 37 and 37' include terminal members adapted to connectwith the terminals A L of32' of the powercontrol assembly and withterminals A through L of jack 32 of the launcher assembly. As set forthabove, cable 12 is reversible and thus plugs 37 and 37 on the endsthereof will cooperate with either of jacks 32 or 32.

In addition to the jack 32 having terminals A L, the launcher assembly,as schematically illustrated in FIG. 5, includes decoy rounds I through9 positioned in unit 11 and the pairs of wires 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 3)which interconnect the jack 32 with squib wires (see FIGS. 6 and 7) ofthe rounds I 9.

With the system readied, as above, by movement of switch 42 to the ARMposition, the firing of one or more of the rounds I 9 may beaccomplished, for example, by pressing button 51 thus interconnectingbus bar 51 with the terminal A of jack 32. This applies the batteryvoltage through switch S1, terminal A of jack 32', plug 37', a conductor12 of cable 12, plug 37, terminal J of jack 32, wire 33, and the squibwires of round 1, thereby igniting a launch or lift charge of the round.The circuit is completed through the other wire 33 of the pair connectedto round 1, terminal L of plug 32, a conductor 12' of cable 12, terminalL of plug 32, and conductors 55 and 50. The current limiting resistor Rfunctions to reduce the amount of current drawn by the squib to theminimum required for firing, thus extending the life of the battery,while additionally functioning to prevent an inadvertent firing of therounds due to a short circuit in the electrical system.

The rounds I 9 may be fired in any desired sequence or in salvos,depending on the tactical conditions and the types of rounds (infrared,microwave, or sonar) in the round container unit 11.

While the launcher system has been illustrated as utilizing a nine roundcontainer unit or magazine, the number of rounds is subject tovariation, being dependent upon the portability desired for the systemand the weight involved. However, the nine round embodiment is such thatone man can easily remove and insert round container units in the baseof the system, while larger embodiments, such as the 25 round portableunit disclosed in the above mentioned patent application, areconsiderably heavier and thus require more manpower to handle. Also,while this embodiment has been illustrated as having its own powersupply, it is within the scope of this invention to use another powersupply, such as that of a ship on which it is positioned, providedproper voltage limitations are maintained.

While the above cited patent application discloses embodiments of decoyrounds and illustrates rounds having multiple dispersion sectionstherein, both of which may be utilized in this embodiment of thelauncher system, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate individual microwave (chafi)and underwater (sonar) decoy rounds, respectively.

The microwave (radar chaff) decoy round illustrated in FIG. 6 comprisesphenolic tubing and 61, tubing 60 being positioned within tubing 61 anddesigned to retain, for example, bagged flash powder 62 which dispersesthe aluminum chaff 63 contained in tubing 61. End covers or caps 64 and65 enclose the ends of tubing 61 to retain the chaff 63 therein, endcover 64 being provided with a plug 66 which is positioned in one end oftubing 60 and in abutment with flash powder 62 while end cover 65 isprovided with an aperture 67 through which a time delay fuze 68 extendsand abuts against flash powder 62. Connecting time delay fuze 68 to anelectric squib 69 is an igniting powder fuze 70, squib 69 being providedwith wires 71 which, as described above, are connected to the wires 33of the round container unit 11. Also connected to electric squib 69 isan igniting powder fuze 72 which extends into a lift or launch charge 73within container 74, container 74 being separated from tubing end cover64 by- 6 and 7 may possess the following characteristics:

length of approximately 6 inches, diameter of approximately 3 inches,with a total weight of approximately 2 pounds. The specific weight ofthe decoy material, the weight of the lift charge and the electricalrequirements of the squib will vary with specific applications.-

The underwater (sonar) decoy round illustrated in FIG. 7 is ofessentially the same configuration as the FIG. 6 chaff round and likeelements will be given the same reference numerals. The FIG. 7 roundcomprises a tubing 76 which may be made of cardboard or the like closedby end caps or covers 77 and 78, end cover 78 being provided with anaperture 79 through which a time delay fuze 68 extends. Tubing 76 isfilled with a lithium hydride and powdered lead mixture 80, for example,with a black powder charge 81 positioned in the center thereof and inabutment with time delay fuze 68. As in the FIG. 6 round, an ignitingpowder fuze interconnects time delay fuze 68 with electric squib 69,squib 69 being provided with wire leads 71 for activation thereof, andconnected through igniting powder fuze 72 with the lift charge 73contained in container 74 and separated from end cover 77 by discs 75.Also adjacent end cover 78 are another pair of discs 75. As in the FIG.6 round, the amount of flash powder and the size of the lift charge maybe varied to meet different requirements.

In the firing sequence described above with respect to FIG. 5, theelectrical impulse from battery 47 is received by electric squib 69 vialead wires 71 which are connected to wires 33 of unit 11, squib 69simultaneously ignites both of the powder'fuzes 70 and 72 which ignitethe time delay fuze 68 and the lift or launch charge 73. The lift charge73 propels the round from the tube 30 of unit 11 in a ballistictrajectory. The time fuze 68 burns for 3 to 6 seconds, for example, de-

pending on the type of round and ignites the burst or flash charge 62 ofH6. 6 or 81 of FIG. 7 which disperses the payload. in the case of themicrowave (radar chaff) rounds the chaff is dispersed near the peak ofthe trajectory while with the underwater (sonar) rounds the payload maybe dispersed near the surface of the water or under the water. The squiblead wires 71 are connected to wires 33 in such a manner that the leadwires 71 are separated from the wires 33 when the round is fired withoutdamage to the wires 33.

The portable decoy launcher system thus provides rounds for use againstradar, infrared, and/or underwater search, tracking, and homing weapons.Application of the decoy rounds is as follows:

Radar Chaff (RF) has payload of radar reflective material effectiveagainst search, tracking, and homing weapons operating in specifiedradar bands;

Infrared lR) has payload for duplicating IR target signals of varioussize surface ships, etc;

Underwater (U) the rounds disperse tablets of lithium hydride over thesurface of the water to produce bubble columns as they sink; affectssonar and acoustic homing devices.

While specific embodiments of the various units comprising the portabledecoy launcher system of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed, it is not intended to limit the invention to the specificembodiments illustrated. For example, the magazine or round containerunit 11 may have various and different types of construction, both as toconfiguration and material used. The base unit 10 may be modifiedwhereby the rear side can be opened so that the round container unit 11can be inserted or withdrawn with the tubes pointing away from theoperator, thus increasing the safety, even though the power-control unit13 is disconnected.

It has thus been shown that this invention provides a simple,inexpensive, but yet effective system for providing protective coveragainst detection.

Although specific embodiments of the system have been illustrated anddescribed, modifications and changes will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and it is intended to cover in the appended claimsall such modifications and changes as come within the true spirit andscope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A portable launcher system comprising: a portable support base, saidportable support base including extendable-retractable brace members toprovide additional support therefor, a portable multi-round containerunit removably mounted in said base, said portable multi-round containerunit comprising a housing, a plurality of tubes fixedly secured in saidhousing, said tubes functioning for storage of associated rounds and asthe launch base for firing of associated rounds, and electrical wiringoperatively secured to said housing and adapted for connection withassociated rounds, said support base being provided with means forretaining said container unit therein, a control apparatus for saidpower supply, said power supply and said control apparatus beingpositioned within a portable container and remotely located from saidportable support base and said portable multi-round container unit, andmeans for interconnecting the electrical wiring of said container unitwith said control apparatus whereby associated rounds may be launchedtherefrom individually, sequentially or in salvo.

2. The portable launcher system defined in claim 1, wherein said powersupply is of the direct current type.

3. The portable launcher system defined in claim 1, wherein said meansfor interconnecting said container unit with said control apparatusincludes a cable having identical means on each end thereof so thateither end of said cable can be connected with said container unit orwith said control apparatus.

4. The portable launcher defined in claim 1, wherein said portablesupport base includes a housing having an upper end thereof at an anglewith respect to the lower end thereof, and wherein said portablecontainer is provided with a hinged cover member.

5. A portable system for launching decoy rounds comprising: a housinghaving an open upper end and at an angle with respect to the lower endthereof, a multiround container unit removably positioned in saidhousing, said multi-round container unit including an individual launchchamber for each round and electrical wiring operatively mounted thereonfor each individual launch chamber, a remotely located powercontrol unitpositioned within a portable container, electrical cable meansinterconnecting said powercontrol unit and said electrical wiring ofsaid multiround container unit, and rounds of suitable decoy materialpositioned in at least a portion of said individual launch chambers ofsaid container unit and operatively connected to said electrical cablemeans.

6. The portable system defined in claim 5, wherein said housing isprovided with a pair of support members pivotably mounted thereon, meansfor retaining said support members in an extended position with respectto said housing, means for retaining said support members adjacent saidhousing, and means for retaining said multi-round container unit in saidhousing.

7. The portable system defined in claim 5, wherein said electricalwiring for the individual rounds is connected to said rounds and to acommon jack, said common jack being connected to said electrical cablemeans.

8. The portable system defined in claim 5, wherein said rounds are eachcomposed of dispersible decoy material, and each round includeselectrical wiring interconnecting said electrical wiring of saidindividual launch chamber of said container unit with means for ignitinga launch charge and with means for igniting a dispersing charge of saidround.

9. A decoy launcher mechanism including a portable container meansdefining a support base, a decoy launcher magazine removably positionedin said container, said launcher magazine being provided with aplurality of cells, each of said cells being provided with a decoy roundand providing a launch base for said decoy round, a portable powersupply for activating said decoy rounds positioned in said cells, andcontrol apparatus for said power supply, said control apparatusincluding means for firing said decoy rounds singly, in sequence, or bysalvo, said power supply and said control apparatus being aself-contained unit and remotely positioned in a portable container.

10. A portable launcher system comprising: a portable support base, saidportable support base including extendable-retractable brace members toprovide additional support therefor, a portable container unit removablymounted in said base, said portable container unit being of amulti-round configuration and provided with electrical wiring adaptedfor connection with associated rounds, said support base being providedwith means for retaining said container unit therein, a power supply,control apparatus for said power supply, said power supply and saidcontrol apparatus being remotely located within a portable container,and means for interconnecting the electrical wiring of said containerunit with said control apparatus, whereby associated rounds may belaunched therefrom individually, sequentially or in salvo, said controlapparatus including means for testing the power supply, means adapted tofire rounds from said container unit, activation means forinterconnecting said power supply with said firing means, and guardmeans for said activation means to prevent inadvertent interconnectionof said power supply and said firing means.

11. The portable launcher system defined in claim 10, wherein saidcontrol apparatus includes means for preventing the inadvertent firingof rounds from said container unit due to a short circuit in the system.

12. The portable launcher defined in claim 10, wherein said portablecontainer is provided with a cover member, said cover member retainingsaid guard means such that same cannot be moved and thus preventactuation of said activation means when said cover member is in theclosed position.

13. A portable system for launching decoy rounds comprising: a housinghaving an open upper end and at an angle with respect to the lower endthereof, a multiround container unit removably positioned in saidhousing, a remotely located power-control unit positioned within aportable container, electrical cable means interconnecting saidpower-control unit and said multi-round container unit, and rounds ofsuitable decoy material positioned in said container unit andoperatively connected to said electrical cable means, said power-controlunit being a self-contained unit and including a direct current powersupply and control apparatus including: means for testing said powersupply, means for firing the rounds from the container unit launchchambers, said firing means including electrical wiring connected to acommon jack, means for connecting said power supply to said firingmeans, said electrical cable means interconnecting said common jacks,and guard means for said firing means to prevent inadvertentinterconnection between said power supply and said firing means.

1. A portable launcher system comprising: a portable support base, saidportable support base including extendable-retractable brace members toprovide additional support therefor, a portable multi-round containerunit removably mounted in said base, said portable multi-round containerunit comprising a housing, a plurality of tubes fixedly secured in saidhousing, said tubes functioning for storage of associated rounds and asthe launch base for firing of associated rounds, and electrical wiringoperatively secured to said housing and adapted for connection withassociated rounds, said support base being provided with means forretaining said container unit therein, a control apparatus for saidpower supply, said power supply and said control apparatus beingpositioned within a portable container and remotely located from saidportable support base and said portable multi-round container unit, andmeans for interconnecting the electrical wiring of said container unitwith said control apparatus whereby associated rounds may be launchedtherefrom individually, sequentially or in salvo.
 2. The portablelauncher system defined in claim 1, wherein said power supply is of thedirect current type.
 3. The portable launcher system defined in claim 1,wherein said means for interconnecting said container unit with saidcontrol apparatus includes a cable having identical means on each endthereof so that either end of said cable can be connected with saidcontainer unit or with said control apparatus.
 4. The portable launcherdefined in claim 1, wherein said portable support base includes ahousing having an upper end thereof at an angle with respect to thelower end thereof, and wherein said portable container is provided witha hinged cover member.
 5. A portable system for launching decoy roundscomprising: a housing having an open upper end and at an angle withrespect to the lower end thereof, a multi-round container unit removablypositioned in said housing, said multi-round container unit including anindividual launch chamber for each round and electrical wiringoperatively mounted thereon for each individual launch chamber, aremotely located power-control unit positioned within a portablecontainer, electrical cable means interconnecting said power-controlunit and said electrical wiring of said multi-round container unit, androunds of suitable decoy material positioned in at least a portion ofsaid individual launch chambers of said container unit and operativelyconnected to said electrical cable means.
 6. The portable system definedin claim 5, wherein said housing is provided with a pair of supportmembers pivotably mounted thereon, means for retaining said supportmembers in an extended position with respect to said housing, means forretaining said support members adjacent said housing, and means forretaining said multi-round container unit in said housing.
 7. TheporTable system defined in claim 5, wherein said electrical wiring forthe individual rounds is connected to said rounds and to a common jack,said common jack being connected to said electrical cable means.
 8. Theportable system defined in claim 5, wherein said rounds are eachcomposed of dispersible decoy material, and each round includeselectrical wiring interconnecting said electrical wiring of saidindividual launch chamber of said container unit with means for ignitinga launch charge and with means for igniting a dispersing charge of saidround.
 9. A decoy launcher mechanism including a portable containermeans defining a support base, a decoy launcher magazine removablypositioned in said container, said launcher magazine being provided witha plurality of cells, each of said cells being provided with a decoyround and providing a launch base for said decoy round, a portable powersupply for activating said decoy rounds positioned in said cells, andcontrol apparatus for said power supply, said control apparatusincluding means for firing said decoy rounds singly, in sequence, or bysalvo, said power supply and said control apparatus being aself-contained unit and remotely positioned in a portable container. 10.A portable launcher system comprising: a portable support base, saidportable support base including extendable-retractable brace members toprovide additional support therefor, a portable container unit removablymounted in said base, said portable container unit being of amulti-round configuration and provided with electrical wiring adaptedfor connection with associated rounds, said support base being providedwith means for retaining said container unit therein, a power supply,control apparatus for said power supply, said power supply and saidcontrol apparatus being remotely located within a portable container,and means for interconnecting the electrical wiring of said containerunit with said control apparatus, whereby associated rounds may belaunched therefrom individually, sequentially or in salvo, said controlapparatus including means for testing the power supply, means adapted tofire rounds from said container unit, activation means forinterconnecting said power supply with said firing means, and guardmeans for said activation means to prevent inadvertent interconnectionof said power supply and said firing means.
 11. The portable launchersystem defined in claim 10, wherein said control apparatus includesmeans for preventing the inadvertent firing of rounds from saidcontainer unit due to a short circuit in the system.
 12. The portablelauncher defined in claim 10, wherein said portable container isprovided with a cover member, said cover member retaining said guardmeans such that same cannot be moved and thus prevent actuation of saidactivation means when said cover member is in the closed position.
 13. Aportable system for launching decoy rounds comprising: a housing havingan open upper end and at an angle with respect to the lower end thereof,a multi-round container unit removably positioned in said housing, aremotely located power-control unit positioned within a portablecontainer, electrical cable means interconnecting said power-controlunit and said multi-round container unit, and rounds of suitable decoymaterial positioned in said container unit and operatively connected tosaid electrical cable means, said power-control unit being aself-contained unit and including a direct current power supply andcontrol apparatus including: means for testing said power supply, meansfor firing the rounds from the container unit launch chambers, saidfiring means including electrical wiring connected to a common jack,means for connecting said power supply to said firing means, saidelectrical cable means interconnecting said common jacks, and guardmeans for said firing means to prevent inadvertent interconnectionbetween said power supply and said firing means.